The late Dahl was a resident of Marshall who attended Southwest Minnesota State University from 1979-1984. He was originally from Watertown, SD and was inspired by members of his family to do art and pursue music. He was not only an artist, but also a poet and musician who played the harmonica despite not being able to read sheet music. He started his artistic career by taking numerous workshops at college, even though he never got a degree, and mostly worked on landscapes and seascapes. He drew his subject matter from everyday life and his faith in God was the foundation of everything he did. He also had a succdssfulshow at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in 1989. He died on August 18, 2012.